80mm Fan Roundup

Introduction

This content was originally featured on Amdmb.com and has been converted to PC Perspective's website. Some color changes and flaws may appear.

Not too long ago, heatsinks like Thermalright SK6 and Swiftech MCX370 used high performance 60 mm fans to keep a CPU cool so enthusiasts can achieve high overclocking results. The major disadvantage of 60 mm fans, just like the latest GeForce FX video card cooling system, is that most of them produce a high pitch noise that sounds more or less like a vacuum cleaner. As time passed by, companies began producing heatsinks that use 80 mm fans. Today, most of the top-rated heatsinks use 80 mm fans to allow high air flow and lower noise levels.

A popular question in the Case & Cooling Forum here at AMDMB.com has been “Which fan should I use for my heatsink?” As more and more of these questions are posted in the forum, it has become apparent that a review like this one is absolutely necessary. For enthusiasts, picking a good heatsink and fan combination is just as critical as picking different computer parts. A good heatsink and fan combination means getting more MHz out of the CPU. With a wide selection of fans available in the market today, which fan is right for you?

The fans that are tested for this review include:

High Performers

Vantec Tornado

Delta FFB0812SHE

Performers

Mechatronics F8025X12B1

Sunon KD1208PTB1

Sunon KD1208PTB2

Panaflo H1A

Low Noise:

Vantec Stealth

Panaflo L1A

Adjustable Fans:

Enermax Adjustable

Thermaltake Smart Fan 2

YS-Tech NFD1281259B-2F Adjustable

LED Fan:

Cyber Cooler Blue LED

Specs Comparison Charts

Vantec Tornado, Thermaltake Smart Fan2, and Enermax Adjustable all have very good cfm to dB ratio compare to the rest of the fans. It will be interesting to see how these particular fans perform.